EDITOR,
Seven-thirty p.m., Friday night, location: backyard patio. Ruth and I were summarizing each other's events of the day over a glass of Sandhill Chard when all of a sudden a very loud command hollered across from our neighbour's yard.
"Joe, go back inside, now!" The instructions were clear, loud and precise. Richard had given us fresh trout over the fence before, but never yelled at us.
Something was up! Had he not also been one of our clients as well as next door neighbour, I would have promptly returned the fish and told him to get stuffed. Nevertheless, in our usual obedient manner, we went inside to take a closer look from one of the upstairs windows to see what all the fuss was about.
The cat was back! It was only a week or so ago when we saw her last. This time she chose our neighbour's backyard. She so clearly made the wrong choice with place and time as she stared down the hollow barrels of two 12-gauge shotguns. The neatly uniformed conservation officers were only doing their jobs. However, it was two against one. She looked confused and frightened. A few minutes later we heard the shots.
Why did she choose to return? There were no steaks on the barbecue. Our wiener dogs, Porsche and Cooper, were nestled inside and it couldn't have been Ruth's freshly ripened tomatoes.
As we dealt with the sadness of witnessing this event, we also knew how necessary this kill was for the safety of our neighbourhood. We live on a street with young children who freely play with their friends and favourite toys.
It is irresponsible for those who argue that we are the ones encroaching on their territory, and therefore must accept their presence in co-habitation. This particular cougar was aggressive and showed no fear for humans. This was a humane act swiftly executed by professionals with enviable courage and I am relieved the cat is gone. Now, let's fire up the BBQ, crack a cold one and enjoy those steaks.
Joe Rommel
Squamish
